This 23 August marks 80 years since the start of the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest engagements of World War II. The battle would see one of the most disastrous defeats for the German Army, bringing its long period of dominance to a shattering end. Following its mauling at Stalingrad the German war machine was forced to retreat, and the Soviet Union partnered with Britain and America to end the Nazi terror once and for all. On the eve of the anniversary, we spoke to historian Iain MacGregor about the importance of the battle and how it changed the direction of the war.
What was the situation leading up to the Battle of Stalingrad, particularly on the Eastern Front?
By the spring of 1942, the German Army was rebuilding itself. On 22 June 1941 the war on the Eastern Front with Russia had begun when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa. His plan to knock them out in the first year of the war had failed and by the second year of the war, strategically, world events had moved on. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and brought America in on the side of the Allies: Hitler now faced a global conflict and he was still trying to win the war on the Eastern Front. But he knew that it might not be possible in a single offensive, in a single summer. So his plan
